Modern photographers and particularly cinematographers are constantly looking for unique ways in which to shoot a subject or an event. In many instances when the event being shot involves some danger, the photographer does not want to be in direct line with the camera. Some prior art cameras of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,116 have an adjustable viewfinder allowing a photographer to use either his right or his left eye for viewing. Solid extension tubes which attach to the viewfinder of a camera are also well known. However, the photographer could be seriously hurt if the camera is bumped or hit while viewing through such a tube.
Fiber optic bundles have been used to transmit visual information from a CRT to a pilot's eyes as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,748,016.
Additionally, fire fighting apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,874 has utilized goggles which are optically connected to a laser device which is pulsed at very high frequency to decrease the effect of back-scatter from smoke particles thus allowing a firefighter to see through smoke. Fiber optic bundles have also been used in a dental mask as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,032,970 wherein the mask includes a fiber optic bundle which has one end positioned adjacent to a CRT to transmit a video signal to the eyes of the patient and includes a microphone for transmitting an audio signal to the ears of the patient.
There have been no devices developed to enable a photographer to see through a viewfinder from a remote location while allowing the photographer to directly operate the camera and afford safety against accidental movement of the camera toward the photographer.